Orange Lily
by Nessa Elendil
Summary: Beginning the summer before Lily Evans' seventh year. How did her feelings for James Potter turn into love?
1. The Attack

A/N: This story begins the summer before the Marauder's seventh year. Although Voldemort has been gaining power for quite some time, this is the start of the war, so only people like Dumbledore, who've been watching Voldemort for a while, will fully understand what's going on at first.

This is also my first new story in a while. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Lily Evans always wanted a cat. A kitten was the first Christmas present she could remember asking for. She had been given a narrow, white, ceramic pot filled with dirt and a promise from her mother that soon a beautiful lily flower would bloom instead. Lily still had that pot. She kept it on her desk. With red paint, Lily had carefully written her name up the pot in sloppy, childish letters, years ago. The paint had cracked from spending years in the sun, but Lily didn't mind. She liked the veins running through her name like water parting dirt. And the same orange lily still bloomed from that pot. Only when Lily turned eleven did her family understand how a flower could bloom for years without wilting, even if Lily herself had known for years.

Lily was a witch. Not an ugly, wicked witch like children dressed up as for Halloween; Lily was pretty and kind. But she wanted a cat, like Muggle witches were always shown with, even it wasn't black. She asked for one every year, until she was old enough to understand what her father being deathly allergic to cats meant. Since then, she contented herself with posters and pictures and drawings. Her favorite poster hung on the ceiling over her bed, five kittens—calico, white, tiger, black, and spotted—played with balls of different colored yarn. After returning from her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lily put a charm on that poster to make the cats meow and move. Her parents had been so impressed that she hadn't been punished after receiving an official warning from the Improper Use of Magic Office reminding her that it was forbidden for underage wizards and witches to use magic outside of school.

Perhaps it was because she never got punished, or maybe it was to annoy her sister for calling her "freak," but Lily continued to use magic over the summers, until the summer before her sixth year, when she received a letter from the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, informing her that one more incident of non-essential magic over the holidays from her would require him to take action. Lily had been too embarrassed to show _that_ letter to her parents, so she hid it in her pillowcase and kept her wand in her trunk for the rest of the summer.

Now, it was summer again. Lily was home with her parents for the last summer before she graduated. She was seventeen, and allowed to do magic, but now that she was overage, her desire to do magic over the holidays had greatly diminished. Probably because the thrill of doing something she _knew _she shouldn't was gone. Or because her magic-hating sister, Petunia, was spending time with her fiancée, a man named Vernon Dursley—whose blubbery body and large mustache made him look more like a walrus than a man, in Lily's opinion, at least—and so was not at home to be freaked out by Lily's magic.

But with Petunia out of the house, all Lily had to do was lie on her bed and watch her five cats play. Puck, Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote, and Mustardseed. Her cats. She could have had a cat at school, her friend Margaret offered to take care of it over the summer, but Lily didn't want to risk all the cat fur she would end up bringing home. A cat, as much as she wanted one, wasn't worth jeopardizing her father. So she watched her cats chase yarn and wrestle, meow and prepare to pounce.

Maybe she would get to her homework sometime in August, but for now, she would stare at the ceiling and pretend. And wait for Potter's letter, she remembered with a groan. Ever since she met Potter, she couldn't stand him. He was arrogant, immature, overconfident, a jerk to everyone except his best friends, a monster to her ex-best friend, and never stopped asking her out. And every summer, no less than three owls arrived from him. She read the first two in the summer before her second year, but immediately trashed the rest and never replied. Those two letters she had read only proved that Potter was no different at home than at school.

Thinking about Potter made Lily think about her ex-best friend, Severus Snape. He didn't live far from the Evans' house and they had met when they were six, Severus even told Lily that she was a witch, and had inseparable since then. Until they went to Hogwarts and they _were_ separated; Severus was sorted into Slytherin while Lily ended up in Gryffindor with Potter and his friends. She had always had a partner in double Potions with Slytherins though, until fifth year. Even before then, Lily knew that Severus had an unhealthy passion for the Dark Arts, and that he was quick to make friends Lily thought were downright creepy. But Lily could overlook that. Severus was her friend, her first and best friend. Until he called her a 'Mudblood,' and she realized his life filled with the Dark Arts had no room for her. He insisted he hadn't meant it, but Lily couldn't believe him. Severus had been the one to explain how awful that word was, and he had used it before, she knew. She had heard him call other Muggleborns 'Mudblood,' just not her. Using the name to mean her was just the last straw that broke their friendship, which had been a dying camel since first year.

Lily would be lying if she said she didn't miss Severus, though. Not the Severus she knew now, but the Severus who told her about magic and picked dandelions with her. This new Severus scared her. Near the end of last term, Severus had cornered her in the library, out of breath and with a crazy gleam in his black eyes.

"I've got them, Lily! Black's so stupid! He didn't even know I was there. But now I know how to get them all expelled. Think about it, a Hogwarts without Potter and Black."

He had been gripping her shoulders, holding her against a large bookshelf, and when she told him to let go, he only continued on about how he was going to find out where Potter and his friends disappeared to every month, gripping her harder.

"Severus, you're hurting me!"

But he hadn't listened or hadn't cared.

"I know you want them gone just as much as I do, and I can do it, Lily! Dumbledore will _have_ to listen."

A flash of purple light and Severus was on the floor, staring at Lily in shock as she stuffed her wand back in her robes, grabbed her books, and fled the library.

Sure, she hated Potter and Black, but she didn't think it was right to go around plotting to get them all expelled. And no matter what Severus had been trying to tell her, he had terrified her that night. Did he really think that display in the library would win her friendship and trust back? She hoped not.

_Crash!_

Lily bolted up at the sound of a large amount of glass shattering. Then laid back down, rolling her eyes at her jumpiness. Her parents always watched t.v. with the volume nearly maxed.

But the screams… The screams were eerily real to be coming from the telly. And that was her father, shouting, "Get out!"

Lily wrenched open her trunk and grasped the thin piece of wood lying on the top. The stairs were out of view from the back door, the glass door. She could get down the stairs without the intruder noticing her, stun them, and she and her parents could get away. If this was a Muggle burglar, they wouldn't stand a chance against Lily's magic. If this was one of the Dark wizards Professor Dumbledore had warned the students about last year, well, she could still surprise them.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

An owl? An owl! An owl was her chance to send for help. She threw open the window, ripped the parchment off, scribbled 'HELP' with the first pen she found, and sent the owl off with her letter. With her parents screaming downstairs, whoever came didn't matter.

She clutched her wand to her chest until she got to the last stair.

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

Lily's heart stopped. Her mother screamed. That meant her father was… No. She would save her mother.

"Where is your Mudblood daughter?"

"I told you," Lily heard her mother sob, "my children aren't home."

She took a breath, and prepared to jump out from behind the corner, surprise the intruder and stun him.

But a hand over her mouth and an arm around her waist stopped her.

"Shh, I won't hurt you, but we have to get out of here," a familiar voice whispered.

Lily struggled against his hold. She had to get to her mother.

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

She went limp. This _idiot_ stopped her from saving her mother.

"Before they start looking, we have to go."

Lily only half-fought to return to her house as Severus dragged her away. The last part of the house she saw was a new addition: A hideous skull with a snake coming out of its mouth hovering over her home.

What was it?

* * *

A/N: The 'flash of purple light' was the Revulsion Jinx.


	2. The Rescue

"I'm going back," Lily said, headed for the door.

Severus grabbed her wrist. "You can't, they'll kill you."

"My parents—"

"Are dead. Going back there won't help them."

"If you hadn't shown up I could've—"

"Could've what? Died with them?"

"Let me go!" He had her wand arm, but she still tugged like mad.

"No!" Severus pulled her around to face him and grabbed her arms, tightly. Like that night in the library. "Those wizards were sent to kill you, Lily! _I_ couldn't have beaten them alone, what chance did you have?"

"Because I'm a Mudblood, right?" She fought her tears harder than she fought against Severus.

"No, that's got nothing to do with it! Those wizards are powerful, and more skilled in the Dark Arts than you could dream. I had to protect you." His hold lessened. "I don't know what I'd do if you died."

Looking into his eyes, Lily saw her old friend was just as scared as she had been. And when he pushed a strand of red hair out of her face, Lily saw the boy she had been so close to for years.

"I had to save you."

And he had.

He was closer now. His hand still cupping her face, his thumb gently brushing her cheek. He came closer, and she let him. Until she saw his left sleeve slide down.

"What's that?"

Severus saw what she did and hastily pulled his sleeve over his arm.

"Sev, what is that?"

Lily started to panic. That mark on Severus' arm, it was the same as the mark floating over her house.

"Lily, calm down. You're safe with me."

"Tell me what that thing is!"

"It's nothing! Forget about it!"

Lily shoved him as hard as she could, and bolted for the door. But Severus grabbed her pant leg, and she fell. Her wand bounced out of her hand when her elbow hit. She tried scrambling towards it, but Severus was on top of her, holding down her wrists.

"Get OFF!"

"I'll take you back, but you have to go with me. It's not safe. Calm down, and I'll let you up."

Lily was shaking, but she had stopped struggling. Once Severus got up, her pulled her to her feet and pressed her wand into her wand, keeping a firm hold on her wrist. He didn't react to her glare, a fiercer look than she had ever given Potter.

"I hate you."

He opened his mouth, but didn't speak. He pulled her to the door instead.

"I hate you! I'd rather die than have you 'save' me again!"

Still, he said nothing. He only kept moving closer to the street that would take them to the Evans' house, not letting go of her wrist.

Didn't he _care_ that her parents were dead? Didn't he _care_ that he was the one who refused to let her help? He had stopped listening to her year ago, but didn't he at all _care_?

"I hate you more than I ever hated Potter, _Snivellus_." Her breathing was heavy, but her tone had been level. The last time she called Severus Potter's cruel name for him had been right before she ended their friendship.

But it worked.

He tightened his grip until she cried out and faced her. His tone was equally calm, but Lily didn't miss the anger.

"Shut up, you _stupid_ Mudblood. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me."

"No, I would have saved my parents! You let them die! You made _me_ let them die, you _fucking_ bastard!"

Lily went to raise her wand, but Severus' was already pointed between her eyes.

"Don't make me do something we'll both regret. I will immobilize you if you don't _calm the fuck down_!" Spit flew with the last four words. "Going back is hardly safe for someone not in hysterics. They might still be there."

Lily nodded. She would save her fight for a better opportunity. She was getting what she wanted, for now at least.

She saw the ugly mark before reaching her backyard. And an hour after pulling her out, Severus carefully led her back through the broken glass door, still holding onto her. This infuriated Lily to no end. She wasn't a misbehaving child who had to hold her mother's hand in the supermarket; she was a grown witch, every bit as capable of defending herself as Severus.

"Evans!" a worry-filled voice carried down the stairs.

Lily's heart raced. She had heard that voice call her name more times than she cared to remember, but it had never sounded worried before, and she had never before been glad to hear it.

"Potter," Severus whispered, and started moving towards the door.

Lily had a choice to make, and she had to make it now. Go quietly with Severus, or call out to Potter. She never thought she would _ever_ choose Potter over Severus, but as far as she knew, Potter didn't have that mark on _his_ arm.

"I'm down here!" she yelled, and wrenched her arm away from Severus. Before he could grab her again, she ran to the stairs, meeting Potter half-way up.

"Evans?"

Lily hoped she didn't look as relieved as he did. She collapsed against the banister, suddenly exhausted. "I need to get out of here." She didn't want to see her dead parents again.

"Is there anything you need?" Potter asked, crouching near her. "You might not be able to come back once we go."

"Upstairs."

"I'll get it."

Lily looked towards the new voice. Of course Potter brought Black with him. When didn't he?

When she heard her trunk being dragged to the stairs, she half-walked, half-crawled to the top and threw open the lid. Her cats were missing. She needed her cats. She stumbled to her room and climbed on her bed. Although Lily was trying to be careful, her shaking hands ripped the corners of the poster off before pulling the tacks out of the ceiling. She managed to reach the floor without falling, and rolled up the poster. One last look around her room told her that Black packed everything. Almost. Her flower was still on her desk. She tucked the poster under her arm and picked up the white, ceramic pot. She needed her orange lily, too.

Lily's trunk had been sloppily packed, but she found room for the rolled poster and stood her flower up between her robes, making sure the lid wouldn't crush the petals when closed. By the time she got downstairs (Potter and Black were taking her trunk down), Severus had gone. She wished she hadn't noticed that horrible tattoo on his arm.

Potter and Black took her trunk to the sidewalk, and Lily followed.

"Are you okay to apparate?" Potter asked. "We'll go with you, just say where."

One moment, Lily was standing, silent, and the next, she was sitting on her trunk, crying into her hands.

"Whoa." Black took a step back.

But Potter didn't. He awkwardly patted her shoulder. "Evans?"

"I don't-_sniffle_-know where to go. I-I, my sister. I don't know where she is—"

"Was she in the house?"

"No, but I don't know how to find her. And I've never been to Margaret's before."

"Leaky Cauldron is always good," Black chimed in.

"Shut up, Padfoot."

Leaky Cauldron. Black was right about it being an option, if she had the money. How was she going to afford a room for the rest of summer _and_ her new school supplies? She applied for summer jobs before school ended, but no Muggle employer hired her because of her vagueness about school, and no Wizarding employers had any open summer jobs. She had to find her sister. Her mother would have Dursley's address, well, her mother's address book.

"I forgot something." Lily wiped her eyes, but before she took two steps towards her house, it burst into green flames.

Lily screamed, Black cursed, and Potter had already shrunken her trunk. "Run!"

When she saw the first masked figure, Lily didn't need a second telling. As she ran behind Potter and Black—all three throwing stunners or other jinxes behind them—Potter kept a hand on her sleeve. But his hold wasn't like Severus'. When the fabric began slipping through his fingers, Potter slowed down so she could keep up.

They ran through hedges and lawns, even hopped a fence, until the shouts of their pursuers could no longer be heard. They finally stopped, panting, in an alleyway. Lily fell to her hands and knees, vomiting and crying. Someone pulled her hair back.

"Evans?"

She retched again.

"Maybe you should bring her home, mate. Owl Dumbledore, he'll come get her."

"Yeah, yeah. Evans?"

A hand was on her back now.

"Evans, I can get Professor Dumbledore for you. Will you come to my place, just until we get Dumbledore?"

Lily couldn't stop crying, so she nodded. She just wanted to be away from those masked wizards. She knew they were the ones who killed her parents.

"Okay, um, side-along apparation, or Knight Bus?"

"Si-Side…"

"Okay, hold on." Potter gently lifted her up, put her fallen wand in her pocket, and apparated them both.

The sensation of apparation made Lily want to be sick again, but there was nothing in her stomach. She wiped off her mouth and cleaned her hand on the grass. Black appeared with a _crack_ next to them shortly after. Lily's house had been a two-story, three-bedroom, two-bath, but it was dwarfed by Potter's house. Something came to mind about Potter's big-headedness, but Lily pushed it out. Potter had just saved her, hadn't he?

* * *

A/N: Reviews are most welcome. =]


	3. The Letter

"Mum! We're back, got a friend with us!" Potter called.

"Oh, isn't that lovely? Well sit down, all of you. You're just in time for dinner."

Lily had never imagined what Potter's parents were like, but she never expected his mother to look older than Dumbledore. Mrs. Potter was a bent, elderly woman with white, curly hair that reached her shoulders, and wrinkled skin that in some places hung off her bones. Lily hadn't thought anyone her age could have parents who were so _old_. But she did look kindly.

"Jamie, would you be a dear and wake your father up? He's napping again. He naps far too much, dear. And Shelly just put on a nice spot of tea for him, I would hate for it to go cold on him."

"Sure, Mum," Potter said, still speaking loudly. And he left.

"Now, dear, let me see you," Mrs. Potter said.

Lily took a few nervous steps forward. Until Black pushed her forward, close enough for Mrs. Potter to take Lily's young hands into her wrinkled ones, which she did, after adjusting her glasses.

"This is Lily Evans, Mrs. P. Friend from school," Black said, speaking loudly like Potter had.

"Ah, yes, that lovely girl Jamie is always going on about. Why, you're even prettier than he said. Prettier than I was when I was your age, but you don't want to hear an old woman talk about long-lost youth. Is your hair natural, dear? Such a lovely shade." Mrs. Potter ran a lock of Lily's hair through her wizened fingers.

"Yes?"

"Well that is wonderful. And it's so nice you finally came to visit Jamie for a while. How long will you be with us?" She didn't _look_ like she was implying Lily had to leave soon, but Lily wasn't sure.

"Uh, I, um—"

"Not sure, Mrs. P.," Black said.

"Oh, well that's all right. All of Jamie's friends are welcome to stay as long as they please. Now why don't you sit, dear? Jamie should be back with that lazy father of his soon, and then we can eat." Mrs. Potter caressed Lily's hands one more time, then gestured to a seat with the place set.

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," Lily said, sitting.

"Hmm? Oh, you're welcome, dear."

"Dad says he'll eat later," Potter said, coming back into the dining room.

"That _man_!" Mrs. Potter chuckled.

* * *

Dinner had been excellent, but Lily hardly ate. She still felt sick from everything that had happened, and she was nervous about being in Potter's house. She wasn't scared, but she was far from comfortable.

"Now I want you boys to put her at the other end of the house from you two. Don't worry, dear, you seem like a nice girl and I won't let those hooligans ruin your reputation."

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter."

"Of course, dear."

On the way to the third floor, Lily had been silent. Why should Potter go through all this trouble for her? He had a crush on her, but Lily didn't think it was that. He wasn't trying to show off, and he hadn't asked her out once. Going this long with her in shouting distance but not asking her out was a new record for Potter, since he had first asked her out two months into first year.

Potter opened a door and he and Black set her trunk down by the queen-sized bed. This room was huge. At least three of her rooms would be needed to fill it.

"The door on the right there is a bathroom, and our house-elf is Shelley, she'll get you anything you need. Um, is there anything you need?"

Lily looked around the bedroom. Immaculate. The dark color of the wooden furniture seemed to be made to match the burgundy carpet, and the bedding and curtains were the same shade against off-white walls, and Lily doubted a speck of dust even existed in this room. Her own mismatched furniture, poster-ridden walls, and in-need-of-a-vacuuming floor were better suited to her, but this room was still amazing.

"Why?" she asked, turning to Potter. "I mean, why are you doing this?"

Potter smiled. "You asked for help." He held out a crumpled piece of parchment that Lily recognized. So it had been his owl. "There wasn't time to get anyone else."

"I, er, never got to read that," she said, meekly. After everything Potter had done, the least she could do was read his letter, right?

When his smile grew, Lily got the impression that he knew she not only didn't reply, but also didn't read his letters. She blushed.

"Don't worry, I wasn't expecting you to." He set the letter on the bedside table.

"Then why'd you write it?"

Potter shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea."

"Or he just likes being a prat," Black stated.

Lily jumped. She had forgotten he was there, but there he was, leaning casually against the wall with his long hair falling effortlessly into place over his eyes. Handsome? Without a doubt. But Lily still didn't see what nearly every other girl at Hogwarts did when they swooned over him, even after today. She was sure Black only showed up because of Potter. And Potter… Did something happen to Potter? She never would have expected him to show up and search for her, and take her home when she had nowhere else to go.

"Now say 'Good night' to Evans, we have things we need to do," Black said.

"Oh, yeah, right. Night, Evans. I'll send that owl to Dumbledore now. Night."

"Night." Black shut the door behind them. "James."

Lily turned and almost jumped when she saw the grinning house-elf in her room.

"Hello, miss. Shelley has drawn a bath for miss. Is there anything else Shelley can do for miss?"

"No, no thank you." Lily smiled. "Thank you for the bath." A bath did sound wonderful. She hadn't showered since the night before, and her bruised wrists were still a little sore from when Severus grabbed her.

The house-elf bowed. "Miss may call Shelley if miss's bath is not satisfactory." And disappeared.

Lily opened her trunk, trying not to remember this was all she had left. Hearing her kittens meow made her smile, and she unrolled the poster on the foot of the bed. They could stay there for now. Surprisingly, her orange lily flower was still upright and intact. She placed it on the bedside table, next to Potter's letter; she would read it later.

Taking her bathrobe from her trunk, she opened the door on the right and was amazed. Burgundy towels had been laid out for her, and the tub—large enough for four people to bath in—was filled to the brim with a thick layer of bubbles. Her pile of clothes made the only mess in the bathroom, and the water was the perfect temperature. Lily shampooed her hair, and remembered green flames engulfing her home. She rubbed soap over her body, and recalled the _thud_ of her mother's body hitting the floor. By the time she was clean, Lily was unable to stop crying. She laid her head on the edge of the tub and cried until exhaustion took over.

* * *

Lily flailed in the tub, coughing up water, waking up. She must have fallen asleep; the bubbles were mostly gone, the once-hot water was giving her gooseflesh, and her fingers were nearly as wrinkled as Mrs. Potter's. And the clock said it was well after eleven. She had slept for nearly three hours.

After draining the tub, drying her body and hair, and tying her fluffy, red robe around herself, Lily pushed back the covers and crawled in bed. She had never slept in a bed large enough for her completely spread out in before. And the pillows, mattress, and sheets were unbelievably soft.

Lily gently stroked the flame-like petals of her flower. The first Christmas gift she could remember receiving. Something was behind the pot. Potter's letter. She picked it up, though hesitantly, and lay on her back to read it.

_Hey Evans, _

_I know it's only been a day, but how's your holiday? _(Well, it started similar enough to the other two letters she had read.)

_Look, I know you probably already heard from *s__cribble* Snape what happened a few weeks ago. I know you probably won't care, but I want you to know I wasn't involved. _(Involved in what?)_ I didn't pull *scribble* Snape back because I got cold feet, and I would have stopped Sirius from doing anything before he did it if I'd have known. And Sirius didn't want to hurt anyone, he just doesn't always think things through as well as he should. That's why we forgave him, his intentions weren't what *scribble* Snape was making them out to be. _

_And I know you probably have a million other things you'd rather do this summer, but if you ever want to come over and hang out you can. Or we can go on a date. _(And there it was.) _I'll always be up for that._

_Well, since you aren't going to read this anyways,_

_I love you, Lily._

_James_

Suddenly, Lily didn't feel like being alone. She made certain her robe was tied tight, and stuffed the letter into her fuzzy pocket. She peeked around the door to make sure Mrs. Potter wasn't in the corridor—Lily didn't want Mrs. Potter thinking she was ruining her own reputation—and stepped as lightly as she could to the other end of the hallway. She took a deep breath before tentatively knocking on the door with Potter's name. No answer. "Potter?" She knocked again. Then carefully opened the door. "Potter?" When he didn't answer, she slipped inside and closed the door.

So this was Potter's room. It was slightly larger than the room she was staying in, but definitely more personalized. Pictures of Potter, his friends, his parents, and Quidditch teams covered the walls. Lily couldn't even say what color they were. Parchment, open textbooks, broken quills, and empty ink bottles littered the desk, and crumpled pieces of parchment overflowed from the bin. A large bookshelf was crammed with book in desperate need of a proper stacking. The king-sized bed was hastily made. The bathroom door was open, and Potter obviously wasn't in bathroom, or his room.

Lily sighed and left Potter's room. What she didn't expect was Black's name on the door across the hall. On second thought, Potter probably had a room at Black's house, too. After a short internal debate, she knocked on Black's door. When no one answered, she peeked inside long enough to see that Black's room was messier than Potter's and neither of them was in there.

Maybe some tea would make her feel better about being alone. Doubtful. But her mother always put on tea when Lily or her sister was upset.

* * *

A/N: In James' letter, the *scribble*s are because he started writing 'Snivellus'. With the subject matter, he thought 'Snape' would better, but old habits die hard.


End file.
